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Also please check out my second blog, The Painting Archives to see older (pre-2004) paintings for sale.
Friday, August 11, 2017
traveling thoughts
I've been away from home for over two weeks now, traveling first in Croatia and Italy with my husband, Don, and now settled at Cascina Rodiani in Drezzo (in northern Italy near Como) for teaching two 6-day workshops. The first class is over and new students are arriving today. As someone who craves solitude, I have welcomed this small break. But I'm very grateful for all that has happened on this adventure so far, and for the many interesting interactions with people of various cultures and backgrounds.
My thoughts about the effects of travel continue...in my last post I talked about recent changes in my work, and that I've become less interested in interpreting specific locations and more in a wider conceptual expression. But because life and art never seem to move in a predictable, linear way, in Drezzo I once again feeling the effects of specific location. It makes sense, with so many visual impressions from travel and new experiences. Now is a time to gather up ideas that may eventually fit in with the larger direction in my work.
On this trip II've been soaking up color --the brightly painted houses in small villages, piles of fruits and vegetables in the market, beautifully arranged plates of food at nearly every meal, and rich patinas like on the old wine barrel below.
I also love the quieter palette of white buildings with red tile roofs, the subtle green of the olive trees, the pale nuances of marble. During our time in Florence with my friend Allison B. Cooke and her husband, I took dozens of closeup photos of old walls and fragments of frescoes seen in the churches of San Marco and Santa Maria Novella; there is a particular feeling in these ancient, worn surfaces of pale greens, gold, blues and pinks that strikes a deep chord.
So, in Italy, color has been on my mind in the works on paper I've done as class demos and on the side. It's an interest that has been brewing in certain works back at home, and I feel I am picking up some new visual ideas to carry back with me.
¶ 9:03 AM 2 comments 
My thoughts about the effects of travel continue...in my last post I talked about recent changes in my work, and that I've become less interested in interpreting specific locations and more in a wider conceptual expression. But because life and art never seem to move in a predictable, linear way, in Drezzo I once again feeling the effects of specific location. It makes sense, with so many visual impressions from travel and new experiences. Now is a time to gather up ideas that may eventually fit in with the larger direction in my work.
On this trip II've been soaking up color --the brightly painted houses in small villages, piles of fruits and vegetables in the market, beautifully arranged plates of food at nearly every meal, and rich patinas like on the old wine barrel below.
I also love the quieter palette of white buildings with red tile roofs, the subtle green of the olive trees, the pale nuances of marble. During our time in Florence with my friend Allison B. Cooke and her husband, I took dozens of closeup photos of old walls and fragments of frescoes seen in the churches of San Marco and Santa Maria Novella; there is a particular feeling in these ancient, worn surfaces of pale greens, gold, blues and pinks that strikes a deep chord.
So, in Italy, color has been on my mind in the works on paper I've done as class demos and on the side. It's an interest that has been brewing in certain works back at home, and I feel I am picking up some new visual ideas to carry back with me.
14"x11" oil/cold wax on paper....
